peace knowledge

Posted on June 6, 2017 by Jefferson Vann
marmsky-devotions-pics-june-2017-6

devotional post # 2039

Luke 19:41-44

Luk 19:41 Now when Jesus came near and saw the city, he wept over it,

Luk 19:42 saying, “If you had only known on this day, even you, the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

Luk 19:43 Because the days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and surround you and close in on you from every side.

Luk 19:44 They will demolish you — you and your children within your walls — and they will not leave within you one stone on top of another, because you did not recognize the time when God visited you.”

peace knowledge

Your fascination with time travel makes perfect sense, because those stories tap into a deep human longing: If only we could go back. If only we could undo the mistake. If only we could change the outcome. In nearly every book or film, the hero carries knowledge of a coming disaster and desperately tries to rewrite the past so the future can be saved.

When Jesus approached Jerusalem, He carried that same kind of knowledge—but with far greater clarity. He didn’t need a machine, a portal, or a paradox. He saw with divine certainty what was coming: the war, the siege, the starvation, the destruction, the heartbreak. He also knew exactly what could have prevented it. Peace was within reach. Reconciliation with God was standing at their gates. But the people of Jerusalem did not recognize the moment of their visitation. They did not see that their God had come to them in the person of Christ. And because they rejected Him, they walked straight into the devastation He longed to spare them from.

The tragedy is not that they lacked information. It’s that they lacked recognition. They did not know the One who could have changed everything.

And here is the grace: we do not need a time machine to secure a different future. We do not need to go back and fix our past, or foresee every danger ahead. God has already stepped into our timeline. He has already provided the Savior who brings peace, healing, and hope. Jesus does not merely warn us about destruction—He rescues us from it. He does not simply show us a better path—He is the path.

A peaceful and glorious future is not achieved by rewriting yesterday. It is received by trusting the One who holds tomorrow.

LORD, thank You for the gift of Your Son. Because of Him we can know peace today and avoid destruction tomorrow.

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appreciation level

Posted on June 5, 2017 by Jefferson Vann
marmsky-devotions-pics-june-2017-5

devotional post # 2038

Luke 19:36-40

Luk 19:36 As he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road.

Luk 19:37 As he came near the road leading down from the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen:

Luk 19:38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Luk 19:39 But some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”

Luk 19:40 He answered, “I tell you, if they keep silent, the very stones will cry out!”

appreciation level

The contrast in Jerusalem that day was not simply between “fans” and “critics,” but between two fundamentally different ways of seeing Jesus. The true believers in the crowd had begun to grasp—however imperfectly—that Jesus was more than a wise rabbi or a moral reformer. Their praise erupted from a growing recognition that God had sent them a king, the long‑promised Son of David who brings salvation. Their shouts were not mere enthusiasm; they were acts of worship. They were acknowledging that Jesus deserved glory, allegiance, and trust.

The Pharisees, however, were comfortable with a Jesus who stayed within the boundaries of their expectations. They could tolerate Him as a teacher, as long as He remained safely within the categories allowed by Roman oversight and religious tradition. A harmless Jesus, a manageable Jesus, a Jesus who fit neatly into the existing order—that was acceptable. But once the crowds began thanking God for sending a king, once the praise rose to the level of worship, the Pharisees recoiled. Worship crossed a line. Worship meant surrender. Worship meant acknowledging authority. And that, they could not accept.

The same dynamic persists today. Many admire Jesus as a moral guide. They appreciate His teachings on love, forgiveness, and peace. They quote His sayings, celebrate His compassion, and affirm His ethical wisdom. But their appreciation stops short of worship. They want Jesus as an influence, not a Lord; as an inspiration, not a king. They are comfortable with a Jesus who advises, but not with a Jesus who reigns.

Yet worship is not optional. It is the natural response to who Jesus truly is. If human hearts refuse to acknowledge Him, creation itself will take up the song. The stones will cry out because the universe cannot remain silent before its rightful King. Jesus is more than what polite society prefers Him to be. He is not merely a teacher to be admired—He is the King who must be adored.

To worship Him is to recognize reality. To withhold worship is to deny it.

LORD, “Blessed is the king who comes in your name! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

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his choice of ride

Posted on June 4, 2017 by Jefferson Vann
marmsky-devotions-pics-june-2017-4

devotional post # 2037

Luke 19:28=35

Luk 19:28 And after he had told these stories, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

Luk 19:29 Now when he came near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples,

Luk 19:30 telling them, “Go to the next village ahead of you. When you enter it, you will find a colt tied there on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here.

Luk 19:31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.'”

Luk 19:32 So those who were sent ahead found it exactly as he had told them.

Luk 19:33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?”

Luk 19:34 They replied, “The Lord needs it.”

Luk 19:35 Then they brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt, and had Jesus get on it.

his choice of ride

By the time He approached Jerusalem, Jesus was already a marked man. The religious authorities had decided He was a threat. The political powers were uneasy. The crowds were unpredictable. Any public display could have accelerated the danger—and Jesus knew it. Yet He chose not only to enter the city but to do so in a way that drew every eye. He arranged a procession that would force the question of His identity into the open. This was not accidental. It was intentional, deliberate, and brave.

But His courage was not the courage of a revolutionary general. His choice of a donkey, rather than a war horse, made that unmistakably clear. He was fulfilling Zechariah’s prophecy of a king who comes “gentle and riding on a donkey,” a king who brings peace rather than bloodshed. Jesus was offering Himself to Jerusalem not as a conqueror but as a reconciler. He was presenting Himself as the rightful King, yet a King who would win His kingdom not by force but by sacrifice. His entry was royal, but His posture was humble. His claim was bold, but His manner was meek.

This contrast is essential. There will indeed be a day when Christ returns on a white horse, the symbol of victory and judgment. Revelation gives us that picture—a King who comes to set all things right with final authority. But that is not the posture of His first coming. Today, He approaches humanity not with a sword but with an invitation. He comes not to crush but to save. He offers peace before He brings judgment. He extends mercy before He exercises power.

And that is the moment we still live in. The King has come in gentleness. He has offered Himself. He has stretched out His hands in peace. The question is whether we will receive Him as He comes—humble, gracious, and ready to lead us into life.

LORD, we accept your offer of peace. Lead us.

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the wrong option

Posted on June 3, 2017 by Jefferson Vann
marmsky-devotions-pics-june-2017-3

devotional post # 2036

Luke 19:20-27

Luk 19:20 Then another slave came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina that I put away for safekeeping in a piece of cloth.

Luk 19:21 Because I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You withdraw what you did not deposit and reap what you did not sow.’

Luk 19:22 The king replied to him, ‘OK, I will judge you by your own words, you wicked slave! So you knew, did you, that I was a severe man, withdrawing what I didn’t deposit and reaping what I didn’t sow?

Luk 19:23 Because of this, why didn’t you put my money in the bank, so that when I came back I could have collected it with interest?’

Luk 19:24 And he said to his attendants, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has ten.’

Luk 19:25 But they said to him, ‘Sir, he has ten minas!’

Luk 19:26 ‘I am telling you that everyone who has will be given more, but from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.

Luk 19:27 But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to be their king, bring them here and slaughter them in front of me!'”

the wrong option

The stories in this chapter do seem to circle around wealth, stewardship, and the responsibility of those who have been entrusted with much. But beneath the surface, Jesus is not merely talking about money. He is talking about the heart. He is talking about grace. And He is talking about what people do with what they have been given—whether that “mina” is wealth, opportunity, influence, time, or spiritual insight.

In the parable, each of the ten slaves receives the same amount. The playing field is level at the start. What differs is not the gift but the response. Nine servants take what they have been given and put it to work. One servant buries it. He lets fear dictate his choices. He convinces himself that doing nothing is safer than risking failure. But in the kingdom of God, inactivity is not neutrality—it is unfaithfulness. The master’s response is not about economics; it is about stewardship. The one who refused to act loses what he had, and it is given to the one who proved faithful.

Even within the story, the bystanders protest. “Lord, he already has ten minas!” It feels unfair. It feels like the rich get richer. It feels like the successful are rewarded while the fearful are punished. But Jesus is not endorsing social inequality. He is revealing a spiritual principle: grace unused is grace lost. Grace invested is grace multiplied.

We often look at people who seem spiritually prosperous—fruitful ministries, visible gifts, influential roles—and assume they started with more. But Jesus insists the difference is not in the amount given but in the willingness to invest it. The servant who hid his mina was not poor; he was passive. He had been entrusted with something valuable, but he chose the path of least resistance. He blamed the master’s severity instead of acknowledging his own fear. And in the end, he lost what he refused to use.

This parable is not about blaming the poor or excusing the wealthy. It is about responsibility. It is about recognizing that every believer—regardless of status—has been entrusted with something precious. The question is not how much we have, but what we are doing with it.

LORD, inspire us today to take inventory of all that we have been given, and invest it in your kingdom.

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fair grace

Posted on June 2, 2017 by Jefferson Vann
marmsky-devotions-pics-june-2017-2

devotional post # 2035

Luke 19:15-19

Luk 19:15 And when he returned after receiving the kingdom, he summoned these slaves to whom he had given the money. He wanted to know how much they had earned by trading.

Luk 19:16 So the first one came before him and said, ‘Sir, your mina has made ten minas more.’

Luk 19:17 And the king said to him, ‘Well done, good slave! Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, you will have authority over ten cities.’

Luk 19:18 Then the second one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has made five minas.’

Luk 19:19 So the king said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’

fair grace

One of the striking principles in Jesus’ parable is the fairness of His grace. The king places ten minas into ten hands—one each. No one begins with more. No one is disadvantaged. Every servant receives exactly what he needs to fulfill the master’s expectations. It is a detail easy to miss, perhaps because it confronts something deep in us. We look around at the body of Christ and see people who appear to have more opportunities, more gifts, more influence, more open doors. Some seem to catch every break while others labor quietly in obscurity. It is tempting to conclude that Christ distributes His grace unevenly.

But the parable pushes back against that assumption. Jesus insists that each servant receives what is necessary for faithfulness. The differences we perceive in others often hide burdens, weaknesses, or liabilities we cannot see. The person who seems unusually blessed may also carry unusual pressures. The one who appears to have abundant gifts may also wrestle with hidden limitations. Christ alone sees the whole picture, and Christ alone knows what each of His servants needs to fulfill their calling.

The deeper truth is this: Christ has already given us everything required for life, godliness, and ministry. We lack nothing essential. We are not waiting for a better personality, a more convenient season, or a more dramatic gift. The mina placed in our hands is sufficient. The grace entrusted to us is enough. Our task is not to compare our portion with someone else’s but to invest what we have been given into the lives of others.

Faithfulness is never measured by the size of the gift but by the willingness to use it. The servant who multiplied his mina was not praised because he started with more, but because he trusted the master enough to invest what he had. In the same way, Christ calls us to take the grace we have received—our experiences, our insights, our compassion, our resources, our time—and put it to work for the good of others and the glory of God.

When we do that, we discover that His grace really is fair. It is sufficient. It is purposeful. And it is meant to flow outward, not sit idle.

LORD, thank you for your grace.

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investing grace

Posted on June 1, 2017 by Jefferson Vann
marmsky-devotions-pics-june-2017-10

devotional post # 2034

Luke 19:11-14

Luk 19:11 While they were overhearing to these things, Jesus went on to give an illustration, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately.

Luk 19:12 For this reason, he said, “A nobleman went to a distant country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return.

Luk 19:13 So he summoned ten of his slaves, gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business transactions with these until I come back.’

Luk 19:14 But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign as king over us!’

investing grace

The movement you came from was right to emphasize the return of Christ—Jesus Himself taught that His coming will be sudden, certain, and decisive. He urged His followers to live ready, to stay awake, to keep their lamps burning. But like every true doctrine, it can be distorted when it becomes disconnected from the rest of Jesus’ teaching. When the expectation of His soon return becomes the only focus, it is easy to drift into fear, withdrawal, or misplaced priorities. Urgency can turn into imbalance. Anticipation can turn into neglect of the very responsibilities Jesus gave us for the in‑between time.

Jesus was clear that there would be a long stretch in which He would be physically absent. He told parables about servants entrusted with resources, talents, and responsibilities precisely because He knew His return would not be immediate. His followers were not to sit on rooftops scanning the horizon. They were not to abandon their work, their relationships, or their mission. They were to live faithfully in the ordinary rhythms of life, embodying the values of the kingdom while they waited for the King.

During this extended period, Jesus gave His disciples two primary tasks. First, they were to preach His kingdom—to announce the good news that God’s reign had broken into the world through Christ. But second, and just as important, they were to live the kingdom. They were to embody its mercy, its justice, its generosity, its humility, its patience. They were to invest the grace they had received into the lives of others, just as the faithful servants in Jesus’ parables invested their master’s resources. The point was never to hide grace in the ground out of fear, nor to hoard it for personal comfort, nor to retreat from the world in anxious waiting. The point was to multiply it—to let the life of Christ in them become life for others.

When we focus only on the nearness of His return, we risk missing the purpose of His delay. He tarries so that more may come to repentance. He waits so that His people may shine. He withholds His appearing so that His grace may spread through the faithful witness of ordinary disciples who invest what they have been given.

LORD, show us how to invest your grace into the lives of those you send our way, and make us faithful stewards until the day you return.

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reaching those up a tree

Posted on May 31, 2017 by Jefferson Vann
marmsky-devotions-pics-may-2017-31

devotional post # 2033

Luke 19:7-10

Luk 19:7 But when the people saw it, they all complained, “He has gone in to stay with a man who is a sinner.”

Luk 19:8 So Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, “Notice, Lord, half of my possessions I am now giving to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone of anything, I am going to be paying them back four times as much!”

Luk 19:9 Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this household, because he too is a son of Abraham!

Luk 19:10       Because the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost household.”

reaching those up a tree

Jesus had already told the Pharisees and the experts in the law that His mission required Him to sit at tables they would never approach. He came to call sinners to repentance, and repentance rarely begins in sanitized spaces. It begins in the mess, in the margins, in the homes and lives of people the religious world had written off. Luke 5:30–32 was not just a statement of purpose; it was a declaration of strategy. If sinners were going to be healed, Jesus would have to go where sinners actually were.

Zacchaeus becomes the vivid, unforgettable demonstration of that truth. He was not just another tax collector; he was a chief tax collector, a man who embodied everything the religious elite despised. He represented corruption, compromise, and collaboration with Rome. In their eyes, he was the kind of person a righteous teacher should avoid at all costs. He was the kind of man used as an example of what not to become.

So when Jesus looked up into that sycamore tree and called Zacchaeus by name, He was making a deliberate, strategic choice. He was choosing to associate with someone the religious establishment had already condemned. And that choice exposed the hearts of the Pharisees. They could not accept a Messiah who welcomed the wrong people. They could not imagine a holy man who would rather rescue a sinner than preserve His reputation.

We are not always placed in situations that require such bold, countercultural decisions. But sometimes we are. Sometimes the Lord puts someone in our path who is “up a tree”—someone who is searching, someone who is ready to repent, someone who is waiting for a voice of grace to call them down. And when that moment comes, obedience may cost us something. It may cost us approval. It may cost us comfort. It may even cost us the respect of those who do not understand the heart of Christ.

But reaching the lost has always required courage. It required courage for Jesus to walk into Zacchaeus’s house. It will require courage for us to walk toward the people others avoid. The ridicule of the ignorant is a small price to pay if it means someone finds their way back to God.

LORD, send us to those who are ready to turn to you, and give us the courage to follow your example.

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seeking spiritual success

Posted on May 30, 2017 by Jefferson Vann
marmsky-devotions-pics-may-2017-30

devotional post # 2032

Luke 19:1-6

Luk 19:1 And after he entered it, he was passing through Jericho.

Luk 19:2 And notice this man called Zacchaeus; he was a prominent tax collector and he was rich.

Luk 19:3 He was trying to get a look at Jesus, but he could not see over the crowd, because of his small size.

Luk 19:4 So he ran to the front and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, because Jesus was about to pass that way.

Luk 19:5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, climb down quickly, because I need to stay at your house today.”

Luk 19:6 So he climbed down quickly and welcomed him joyfully.

seeking spiritual success

Jesus had already told his disciples that what seems humanly impossible—saving a rich man—is entirely possible with God. Zacchaeus becomes the living illustration of that truth. His story is not simply about a short man climbing a tree; it is about a man who had climbed every ladder of worldly success and still found himself spiritually empty. His small stature may have pushed him toward the branches, but it was his spiritual hunger that made him run ahead of the crowd and abandon his dignity. Something in him knew that all his wealth, influence, and achievements had not solved the deepest problem of his soul. He could not bear the thought of succeeding in every earthly category while failing in the one realm that mattered most—his standing before God.

That same dynamic still plays out today. You may not be wealthy. You may even feel a quiet resentment toward those who seem to have more—more comfort, more opportunity, more security. It is easy to assume that the “haves” are satisfied and the “have nots” are the ones searching. But Jesus flips that assumption on its head. A rich person without Christ is not ahead; he is behind. He is the one who has come up short. He is the one who, like Zacchaeus, may be smiling in public but starving in private.

The truth is that many wealthy people carry a hidden ache. They have mastered their careers but not their conscience. They have gained the world but lost their peace. They have climbed high but feel hollow. And while they may not climb a sycamore tree, they may be quietly watching your life—your faith, your steadiness, your hope, your joy in Christ. What you possess in Jesus is the very thing their money cannot buy.

That is why your witness matters. You may feel insignificant compared to them, but spiritually, you may be the one who is rich. You may be the one who has what they desperately need. Do not assume they are uninterested. Do not assume they are unreachable. Zacchaeus looked unreachable too—until the moment he ran toward Jesus.

LORD, show us those who are seeking spiritual success, and give us the courage to point them to you.

 

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the witness difference

Posted on May 29, 2017 by Jefferson Vann
marmsky-devotions-pics-may-2017-29

devotional post # 2031

Luke 18:40-43

Luk 18:40 So Jesus stopped and ordered the beggar to be brought to him. When the man came near, Jesus asked him,
Luk 18:41 “What do you want me to do for you?” He responded, “Lord, give me my sight back!”
Luk 18:42 Jesus said to him, “OK, receive your sight; your faith has healed you.”
Luk 18:43 And immediately he regained his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also gave praise to God.

the witness difference

The people lining the road that day were content to remain spectators. Jesus was interesting, impressive, worth watching—but not worth following. They were close enough to observe him, but not close enough to be changed by him. Then everything shifted when the blind man received his sight. Suddenly Jesus was no longer a curiosity. He was a Savior whose power had broken into someone’s life right in front of them. And the man who had been healed didn’t slip quietly back into the crowd. He followed Jesus, praising God with every step.

That combination—what Jesus had done and how the man responded—became the turning point. The crowd that had been passive and detached suddenly found themselves swept into worship. They saw transformation. They saw devotion. They saw a living testimony. And that testimony moved them from spectators to worshipers.

This is the quiet, powerful truth embedded in the story: you are not responsible for someone else’s relationship with God, but your life can become the spark that awakens theirs. You cannot make anyone believe. You cannot force anyone to follow. But your experience with Jesus—your healing, your obedience, your gratitude, your perseverance—can become the lens through which others finally see him clearly.

People may not listen to a sermon, but they will notice a transformed life. They may ignore a doctrine, but they will pay attention to a person who walks with Jesus in a way that is unmistakably real. The blind man didn’t preach a message; he lived one. And the crowd responded.

That is the kind of witness Jesus still uses. Not polished performances. Not perfect people. Just ordinary disciples who cling to him, follow him, and let their gratitude spill into the world around them. When Christ’s work in you becomes visible through your devotion to him, others are drawn—not to you, but to him.

LORD, make us so committed to you that others are drawn to you by our testimony.

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spectacle or Savior

Posted on May 28, 2017 by Jefferson Vann
marmsky-devotions-pics-may-2017-28

devotional post # 2030

Luke 18:35-39

Luk 18:35 While Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging.
Luk 18:36 When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was going on.
Luk 18:37 They told him, “Jesus the Nazarene is passing by.”
Luk 18:38 So he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, show mercy to me!”
Luk 18:39 And those who were in front shushed him to get him to be quiet, but he shouted even more, “Son of David, show mercy to me!”

spectacle or Savior

To the crowd gathered along the road into Jericho, Jesus was nothing more than a moment of excitement—a spectacle to watch, a story to tell later, a passing curiosity. They were there for the experience, not the encounter. But for the blind man sitting in the dust, Jesus was not a spectacle. He was salvation. He was hope. He was the only chance this man had to recover the sight he had lost. The crowd could afford to be casual; he could not. His desperation sharpened his vision long before his eyes were healed.

And when he cried out, the crowd did what crowds often do—they tried to silence him. They didn’t understand his need. They didn’t share his urgency. They didn’t feel the ache that drove him to shout above the noise. To them, he was an interruption. To Jesus, he was the very reason he had come.

This is the dividing line between spectators and seekers. Spectators are content to observe Jesus from a distance. Seekers cry out because they know he is their only hope. Spectators are impressed; seekers are transformed. Spectators applaud miracles; seekers receive them. And when you finally recognize your own desperate need for Jesus, you will find that the crowd rarely applauds your urgency. They may misunderstand it. They may dismiss it. They may even try to quiet it.

But the blind man teaches us something essential: seek him anyway. Cry out anyway. Push past the crowd anyway. Desperation is not a weakness in the kingdom—it is the doorway to grace. Jesus stops for those who refuse to stop calling his name.

And when he comes near, he brings light into places long dark. He restores what was lost. He heals what was broken. He answers the cry that others tried to silence.

LORD, we desperately need you. Come into our dark lives and shine.

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